Hackszine.com: Excerpts Archives

Archive: Excerpts

February 28, 2008

Excel Hacks: Display a "please wait" message

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition Cover

Here's Hack #111, Display a "Please Wait" Message, from David and Raina Hawley's Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition. Millions of users create and share Excel spreadsheets every day, but few go deeply enough to learn the techniques that will make their work much easier. Yet there are many ways to take advantage of Excel's sophisticated capabilities without spending hours on advanced study. In Excel Hacks, you'll learn how to:

Reduce workbook and worksheet frustration--manage how users interact with worksheets, find and highlight information, and deal with debris and corruption.
Analyze and manage data--extend and automate these features, moving beyond the limited tasks they were designed to perform.
Hack names--learn not only how to name cells and ranges, but also how to create names that adapt to the data in your spreadsheet.
Get the most out of PivotTables--avoid the problems that make them frustrating and learn how to extend them.
Create customized charts--tweak and combine Excel's built-in charting capabilities.
Hack formulas and functions--subjects range from moving formulas around to dealing with datatype issues to improving recalculation time.
Make the most of macros--including ways to manage them and use them to extend other features.
Use the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft Office 2007 to combine Excel with Word, Access, and Outlook.

Hack #111: Display a "Please Wait" Message - Link

Related:

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Excel Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly: Hook Up with Excel Expert Hackers - Press Release

February 27, 2008

Excel Hacks: Display negative time values

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition Cover

Here's Hack #87, Display Negative Time Values, from David and Raina Hawley's Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition. Millions of users create and share Excel spreadsheets every day, but few go deeply enough to learn the techniques that will make their work much easier. Yet there are many ways to take advantage of Excel's sophisticated capabilities without spending hours on advanced study. In Excel Hacks, you'll learn how to:

Reduce workbook and worksheet frustration--manage how users interact with worksheets, find and highlight information, and deal with debris and corruption.
Analyze and manage data--extend and automate these features, moving beyond the limited tasks they were designed to perform.
Hack names--learn not only how to name cells and ranges, but also how to create names that adapt to the data in your spreadsheet.
Get the most out of PivotTables--avoid the problems that make them frustrating and learn how to extend them.
Create customized charts--tweak and combine Excel's built-in charting capabilities.
Hack formulas and functions--subjects range from moving formulas around to dealing with datatype issues to improving recalculation time.
Make the most of macros--including ways to manage them and use them to extend other features.
Use the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft Office 2007 to combine Excel with Word, Access, and Outlook.

Hack #87: Display Negative Time Values - Link

Related:

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Excel Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly: Hook Up with Excel Expert Hackers - Press Release

February 26, 2008

Excel Hacks: Highlight alternating rows and columns

Here's Hack #21, Highlight Every Other Row or Column, from David and Raina Hawley's Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition. Millions of users create and share Excel spreadsheets every day, but few go deeply enough to learn the techniques that will make their work much easier. Yet there are many ways to take advantage of Excel's sophisticated capabilities without spending hours on advanced study. In Excel Hacks, you'll learn how to:

Reduce workbook and worksheet frustration--manage how users interact with worksheets, find and highlight information, and deal with debris and corruption.
Analyze and manage data--extend and automate these features, moving beyond the limited tasks they were designed to perform.
Hack names--learn not only how to name cells and ranges, but also how to create names that adapt to the data in your spreadsheet.
Get the most out of PivotTables--avoid the problems that make them frustrating and learn how to extend them.
Create customized charts--tweak and combine Excel's built-in charting capabilities.
Hack formulas and functions--subjects range from moving formulas around to dealing with datatype issues to improving recalculation time.
Make the most of macros--including ways to manage them and use them to extend other features.
Use the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft Office 2007 to combine Excel with Word, Access, and Outlook.

Hack #21: Highlight Every Other Row or Column - Link

Related:

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Excel Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly: Hook Up with Excel Expert Hackers - Press Release

February 25, 2008

Make a remote connections to Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server may seem like an unusual piece of software, but it's worth playing around with if you are considering a home server for your Windows systems. You can get a 120-day evaluation version from Microsoft, and OEM versions are available from retailers like Newegg.com. Here's a Windows Home Server hack from Preston Gralla's Big Book of Windows Hacks. This one shows you how to connect remotely to your home server so you can keep an eye on things back at home. Hack #129 - Link

Related:

Big Book of Windows Hacks @ the Maker Store - Link
Big Book of Windows Hacks--New from Make: Tips & Tricks for Unlocking the Power of Your Windows PC - Link
Hack #156 from Big Book of Windows Hacks: strip down your Windows installation - Link
Big Book of Windows Hacks #16: a grab bag of Vista interface hacks - Link

Excel Hacks: Reduce workbook bloat

Here's Hack #15, Reduce Workbook Bloat, from David and Raina Hawley's Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition. Millions of users create and share Excel spreadsheets every day, but few go deeply enough to learn the techniques that will make their work much easier. Yet there are many ways to take advantage of Excel's sophisticated capabilities without spending hours on advanced study. In Excel Hacks, you'll learn how to:

Reduce workbook and worksheet frustration--manage how users interact with worksheets, find and highlight information, and deal with debris and corruption.
Analyze and manage data--extend and automate these features, moving beyond the limited tasks they were designed to perform.
Hack names--learn not only how to name cells and ranges, but also how to create names that adapt to the data in your spreadsheet.
Get the most out of PivotTables--avoid the problems that make them frustrating and learn how to extend them.
Create customized charts--tweak and combine Excel's built-in charting capabilities.
Hack formulas and functions--subjects range from moving formulas around to dealing with datatype issues to improving recalculation time.
Make the most of macros--including ways to manage them and use them to extend other features.
Use the enhanced capabilities of Microsoft Office 2007 to combine Excel with Word, Access, and Outlook.

Hack #15: Reduce Workbook Bloat - Link

Related:

Excel Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Excel Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly: Hook Up with Excel Expert Hackers - Press Release

February 22, 2008

Knoppix Hacks: Install Windows patches securely

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition Cover

Here's Hack #94, Download Windows Patches Securely, from Kyle Rankin's Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition. Knoppix Hacks offers a collection of tips and techniques for using the enormous amount of software Knoppix offers--not just to work and play, but also to troubleshoot, repair, upgrade, and disinfect your system without having to install a thing. The book includes scores of hacks covering both the standard Knoppix live CD and the feature-rich DVD "Maxi" distribution (included with this book). In this book, you'll learn how to:

Investigate features of the KDE desktop and its Internet applications
Save settings and data between reboots with persistent storage
Use Knoppix as a system administration multitool to replace failed servers and more
Use the CD/DVD as a rescue disc to repair filesystems or a system that won't boot
Rescue Windows systems with Knoppix to back up files and settings, hack the registry, and more
Explore other live CDs based on Knoppix
Use Knoppix to automatically detect and configure hardware
Remaster Knoppix to include favorite software and custom branding

Hack #94: Download Windows Patches Securely - Link

Related:

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Knoppix Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly Media: Using the Linux Live CD to Hack, Repair, and Enjoy Your PC - Press Release

February 21, 2008

Knoppix Hacks: Wipe a hard drive

Here's Hack #59, Wipe a Hard Drive, from Kyle Rankin's Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition. Knoppix Hacks offers a collection of tips and techniques for using the enormous amount of software Knoppix offers--not just to work and play, but also to troubleshoot, repair, upgrade, and disinfect your system without having to install a thing. The book includes scores of hacks covering both the standard Knoppix live CD and the feature-rich DVD "Maxi" distribution (included with this book). In this book, you'll learn how to:

Investigate features of the KDE desktop and its Internet applications
Save settings and data between reboots with persistent storage
Use Knoppix as a system administration multitool to replace failed servers and more
Use the CD/DVD as a rescue disc to repair filesystems or a system that won't boot
Rescue Windows systems with Knoppix to back up files and settings, hack the registry, and more
Explore other live CDs based on Knoppix
Use Knoppix to automatically detect and configure hardware
Remaster Knoppix to include favorite software and custom branding

Hack #59: Wipe a Hard Drive - Link

Related:

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Knoppix Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly Media: Using the Linux Live CD to Hack, Repair, and Enjoy Your PC - Press Release

February 20, 2008

Knoppix Hacks: Install multimedia codecs

Here's Hack #39, Install Multimedia Codecs, from Kyle Rankin's Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition. Knoppix Hacks offers a collection of tips and techniques for using the enormous amount of software Knoppix offers--not just to work and play, but also to troubleshoot, repair, upgrade, and disinfect your system without having to install a thing. The book includes scores of hacks covering both the standard Knoppix live CD and the feature-rich DVD "Maxi" distribution (included with this book). In this book, you'll learn how to:

Investigate features of the KDE desktop and its Internet applications
Save settings and data between reboots with persistent storage
Use Knoppix as a system administration multitool to replace failed servers and more
Use the CD/DVD as a rescue disc to repair filesystems or a system that won't boot
Rescue Windows systems with Knoppix to back up files and settings, hack the registry, and more
Explore other live CDs based on Knoppix
Use Knoppix to automatically detect and configure hardware
Remaster Knoppix to include favorite software and custom branding

Hack #39: Install Multimedia Codecs - Link

Related:

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Knoppix Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly Media: Using the Linux Live CD to Hack, Repair, and Enjoy Your PC - Press Release

February 19, 2008

Knoppix Hacks: Rock out with Knoppix multimedia

Here's Hack #18, Rock Out with Knoppix Multimedia, from Kyle Rankin's Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition. Knoppix Hacks offers a collection of tips and techniques for using the enormous amount of software Knoppix offers--not just to work and play, but also to troubleshoot, repair, upgrade, and disinfect your system without having to install a thing. The book includes scores of hacks covering both the standard Knoppix live CD and the feature-rich DVD "Maxi" distribution (included with this book). In this book, you'll learn how to:

Investigate features of the KDE desktop and its Internet applications
Save settings and data between reboots with persistent storage
Use Knoppix as a system administration multitool to replace failed servers and more
Use the CD/DVD as a rescue disc to repair filesystems or a system that won't boot
Rescue Windows systems with Knoppix to back up files and settings, hack the registry, and more
Explore other live CDs based on Knoppix
Use Knoppix to automatically detect and configure hardware
Remaster Knoppix to include favorite software and custom branding

Hack #18: Rock Out with Knoppix Multimedia - Link

Related:

Knoppix Hacks, 2nd Edition @ the Maker Store - Buy now
Knoppix Hacks, Second Edition--New from O'Reilly Media: Using the Linux Live CD to Hack, Repair, and Enjoy Your PC - Press Release

December 3, 2007

Big Book of Windows Hacks #16: a grab bag of Vista interface hacks

Here's another hack from Preston Gralla's Big Book of Windows Hacks that digs into some cool hacks for the Vista user interface. You'll learn how to hack ClearType, get rid of the text from desktop icons, mess around with selecting multiple files in Explorer, delete files without being interrogated each time, and more. Hack #16 - Link

Related:

Big Book of Windows Hacks @ the Maker Store - Link
Big Book of Windows Hacks--New from Make: Tips & Tricks for Unlocking the Power of Your Windows PC - Link
Hack #156 from Big Book of Windows Hacks: strip down your Windows installation - Link

November 28, 2007

Hack #156 from Big Book of Windows Hacks: strip down your Windows installation

Preston Gralla's Big Book of Windows Hacks has hit the streets, and we're really excited about it. It's truly big: 600 pages and 188 hacks. You'll learn how to bend Vista and XP to your will, get the most out of gadgets like the Zune, your networking hardware, and Windows Home Servers. Here's some of the stuff you'll find in there:

Expanded tutorials, new background material, a series of "quick hacks," and informative sidebars
Security hacks, including protection at wireless hotspots, hacking Vista file permissions and user account protection, and more
Efficiency hacks, such as tweaking your PC hardware, troubleshooting hardware problems, and speeding up system performance
Fun hacks, like building a custom Media Center PC or turning a PC into a digital video recorder
"Beyond Windows" hacks for running Linux inside Vista, dual-booting Linux/Windows or XP/Vista, or emulating classic video games on your PC

We'll be running a few sample hacks, starting with "Strip the Crud Out of Your Windows Install", which explains how to slim down your Windows installation before installing Windows. Hack #156 - Link

Related:

Big Book of Windows Hacks @ the Maker Store - Link
Big Book of Windows Hacks--New from Make: Tips & Tricks for Unlocking the Power of Your Windows PC - Link